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The Vicarious Captain: Meet the retiree who has guided vessels through the icy narrows

by Elaine Anselmi 14 Sep 2018 13:26 UTC
Victor Wejer in the 'NWP Studio.' © Andrew Reimer

Victor's first response was friendly. He invited me over to hear a bit about what he does. We went back and forth. I mentioned I was heading to Ontario's cottage country the weekend before we would meet. He responded promptly: "I am obliged to report to you of no mosquitoes so far." (He writes like he talks: clipped and direct.) "Black flies started showing up and expecting them to be active during coming long weekend as we are now experiencing high 20 C temperatures." In the evenings, he warned, the temperature would drop to between 12 C and 17 C. He would be proven correct on all accounts.

Though born in Poland, Victor is Dutch and he still has the accent. He has blue eyes that peer over his wire-rimmed glasses more often than through them. He has a deep, hearty laugh that breaks up most of his sentences.

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